What we can learn from our Fathers

Me and my dad in Granada, Spain

It shouldn't take a holiday like Father's Day for us to honor and show respect to our fathers... although it is common for us to take our loved ones for granted. Many of us are blessed to still have our fathers alive and healthy (including myself), so that in itself is something to celebrate.

In high school I wrote a cheesy essay about how I admired my dad, that my hard-ass teacher actually loved and gave me an "A" for. In it I included some qualities that many of us can relate to with respect to the father figures in our lives. Here are just a few of those admirable qualities:

1. Integrity: Doing the right thing, no matter what. Your parents are your first source of discipline, and that also goes with learning what's right and wrong. We usually know when we've disappointed our parents by not doing the right thing... I'm getting a visual from the Lion King where Simba has a heart-to-heart talk with his dad after finding the elephant graveyard.. along with hyenas.


2. Being a leader: There's a reason that fathers are typically referred to as "head of household"...they are the figurehead and CEO of the family, receiving the pressure to keep it all together without always getting the credit. 

3. Sense of Responsibility: Similar to a maternal nurturance, most dads I know seem to have this sense responsibility gene inherently built into their DNAs, as though it is their duty to step up and take care of their families. 

4. The Steady Rock: In a household of all women, my dad was always the (emotionally) sane one. We would ask our dad for advice on any issue--my dad has heard it ALL!--and he was always there to support us, no matter what. 

5. Conflict Resolution/Mediation: A parent automatically must learn to become a mediator... my dad was the one that kept everything in line while the rest of us fought over seemingly "important" things like who stole who's makeup, who didn't wash the clothes they borrowed, who ate who's leftovers, etc. 

I'm not even going to mention all the times my dad took me shopping for clothes, attended a loud concert or musical with me, or bailed me out of some dumb monetary bind.

Damn, being a dad is a challenge! In honor of our fathers who took all the crap we put them through... Cheers to them (or cheers to you, if you are one)!   


Many of these success strategies are discussed in my Success Program Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM) designed to help you fulfill your life's mission while increasing your productivity, reaching your goals and ultimately leading your best, Masterpiece life! If you or your dad would be interested in a success program designed to help heart-centered professionals, read more here.   

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